OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Welcome Greyhounds to Begin Three-Game Weekend

October 27, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (4-4-0-0) face rival Sault Ste. Marie (7-5-0-0) in their first matchup of the year on Friday, October 27th, at the Dow Event Center.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:05 PM

Tickets:

Ticketmaster

Phone: (989) 497-7747

In-Person: Saginaw Spirit Store (6321 State St.), Dow Event Center Box Office

Broadcast

Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 471

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

Last Time:

Saginaw won against the London Knights on Sunday, October 22nd, by a score of 6-4 to get themselves back to an even 4-4-0-0 on the season. Nic Sima scored the first hat trick of his OHL career, with rookie Aiden Young assisting on two of his goals. Zayne Parekh scored his second of the year, tying him for fourth in points among OHL defensemen. Valentin Zhugin added to his goal total, scoring his sixth of the year and 40th of his OHL career. Joey Willis sealed the game with an empty net goal, and Nolan Lalonde started for the Spirit, saving 26 of 30 shots for his first win of the year.

Sault Ste. Marie lost against the Flint Firebirds on Wednesday, October 25th, by a score of 6-3 at GFL Memorial Gardens. Justin Cloutier and Andrew Gibson finished with two-point nights, Cloutier netting a goal and an assist, and Gibson got two assists. Connor Clattenburg scored his first of the season on assists from Cloutier and Kirill Kudryavtsev. Landon Miller started for the Soo Greyhounds, saving 20 of 24 shots in his first loss of the season.

Last Season:

Saginaw faced the Soo eight times in 2022-2023, finishing with a 4-2-1-1 record against them. Three of those games went into overtime and one into a shootout, and the two teams matched scoring in the season series, 30-30. Bryce McConnel-Barker and Kalvyn Watson both had 14 points against the Spirit, with Watson scoring 10 of his 34 goals last season facing Saginaw. Hunter Haight led all Saginaw skaters with 11 points (5G, 6A), with Calem Mangone also adding five goals of his own.

Players to Watch:

Hunter Haight (5G, 6A)and Zayne Parekh (2G, 9A)lead the team in points with 11 apiece. Valentin Zhugin leads the Spirit in goals with six and has added three assists so far this season the season. Center Ethan Hay will play his first game in a Spirit uniform since being acquired from the Flint Firebirds on October 25th. The former Firebird alternate captain currently sports three points (2G, 1A) in nine games. Andrew Oke continues to lead the Spirit in most goaltending categories with a 2.68 goals against average (GAA) and a .894 save percentage (SV%). Nolan Lalonde leads the team in saves (SVs) with 142 and shots against (SH) with 166.

Jack Beck currently leads the Greyhounds in points with 14 (4G, 14A), and Arttu Karki's ten goals lead the team and tie him for second in the OHL. Karki also leads the OHL in power-play goals with seven, and Beck leads the OHL in power-play assists with eight. Charlie Schenkel leads all Soo goaltenders with 184 SVs, a 2.90 GAA, and a .885 SV%, and is tied with rookie Landon Miller at one shutout a piece.

Saginaw currently has six (6) with ties to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Joey Willis (Nashville), Matyas Sapovliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Braden Haché (Florida), and Nolan Lalonde (Columbus, FA), and Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay).

Sault Ste. Marie currently has (5) players drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL), including Jack Beck (Calgary), Bryce McConnell-Barker (New York Rangers), Andrew Gibson (Detriot), Kirill Kudryavtsev (Vancouver), and Arttu Karki (Vegas).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 27, 2023


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